This invention relates to an apparatus for use in lawn and gardening maintenance. More specifically, this invention eliminates the need for the user to bend over when extracting weeds, planting seeds, digging holes and other small lawn and gardening excavations. The lawn and gardening device comprises two hollow poles each having one half a jaw at one end forming a mouth to accept a weed or unwanted plant. A flexible coupler is used to hold the poles at the bottom end, and an opening is provided at the top end of one of the poles to allow seeds to be inserted. Additionally, a pair of handles are provided affixed to the top end of the poles thereby eliminating the need for the user to bend over.
It has been customary for the user to bend over and extract weeds from the lawn using their hands and then pulling the weeds out manually. This method falls short when the user has a hurt or weak back or when the weed is anchored strongly to the ground. An additional draw back is that this method is unsanitary and possibly dangerous when dealing with poisonous types of plant life. When planting seeds, the user must also bend over to dig holes and manually insert seeds into the ground.
Several approaches have been provided for, in San Filipo of U.S. Pat. No. 3,767,251, "A weed extracting device comprising a body member having a weed extracting member pivotally secured thereto and movable through an angle from an extended position, in which the extracting member is locked to the body member with its free end in substantial alignment therewith or offset at a small angle for insertion in the ground beneath a weed, to an extracting position, in which the extracting member is substantially at right angles to the body member, and extracts the weed from the ground." While this approach has its advantages, it lacks the ability to plant seeds without the user having to bend over and place the seed into the ground. Another inability of this weed extracting device is that it cannot dig symmetrical holes for installation of plants or posts. Additionally, this weed extraction device can extract unwanted vines from walls or trees.
Another approach is taught by Green, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,340 wherein, "A weed extraction device for digging, cutting, twisting and pulling out weeds. The weed extraction device includes a rod member from which a handle is formed by bending the rod member. The handle is useful in pushing the device into the ground and to twist the device to twist out the weeds and by which the user can pull out weed from the ground without bending over. The rod member also includes a foot step which is formed by bending the rod member and is useful in pushing the device into ground to the depth of the tap root. Attached permanently to the rod member is the root trap which is a half-cone or hemiconically shaped cutting, coring and compacting portion of the device. The root trap is useful to dig into the ground, cut a cone shaped plug, compact the tap root and branch roots and twist out the weed including the tap root which prevents the root from ever growing again. The cutting teeth of the root trap on the leading edge of the root trap cut the branch roots and free the branch roots from attachment to the soil. The twisting action of the handle, rod member and the root trap results in the twisting free of the weed. The device is used to pull the weed out of the ground from the standing, upright position with little effort or back-strain." This particular weed extracting device also lacks the ability to dig post holes for installation of posts or plants. Additionally, this device cannot plant seeds without the user having to bend over to place the seed on the ground. Furthermore, this device does not have the ability to extract vines from walls or trees.
Still another approach is taught in the art by Long, U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,226, wherein "A weeder tool for lawns, gardens and the like, which is operated by hand and foot of a standing operator or user, and includes a rigid, formed and shaped, tapered blade, having a curved and sliding fulcrum, a step for the operator's foot, and a sharp, bifurcated tip for engaging the weed root. The weeder tool also comprised a handle, the pulling of the upper end of which toward the operator from forwardly inclined position to an upright position, after having first pushed the tip and tongue of the blade into the ground by foot pressure on the step, advances the tip of the blade to the root of the weed and pivots the blade about its sliding fulcrum to break the ground adjacent the root crown, raise and break a divot, and push the weed, root and crown up and through the broken divot." A shortcoming of this approach is that it requires the user to have to find the buried root beneath the soil before it can be extracted and may cut the root instead of totally extracting it. Additionally, this device cannot plant seeds or dig post holes for small excavations or the like. Finally, this device is not able to remove vine type weeds from walls, trees, or any other type of vertical structure.